Steering wheel



E. H. THOMAS. STEERING WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED MAY I6, |921.

- Y A- 412,420,462. I Pamuunezo, 1922-,A

UNITED sTArss sarENr oFFlcE.

ELMER R. THOMAS, or DAVENPORT, IOWA.

STEERING WHEEL.

To all 'whom t mag/concern:

Be lit known thatJ 1I', ELMER R. THoMAs,

a citizen ofthe United States, Vresiding at Davenport, inthe .county of Scott and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Steering Wheel, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in steering wheels which are usually mounted upon a steering rod operating within a steering post which has a gear-box, steering gears and actuating levers mounted upon its uppermost end; and the object of my invention is to provide a steering wheel having a hub capable of housing the gearbox; the hub provided with spokes arranged thereon in relation to its rim in such manner as to form a wheel presenting a concave area when mounted, having its rim low enough to permit the proper manipulation of the actuating levers without necessitating the removal of the hand of the operator from the rim.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the wheel dismounted, and F 1g. 2 is a vertical view of the wheel mounted in cross section taken on line 2 2, disclosing in dotted lines the gearbox, actuating levers, quadrant, steering post and steering'rod of a vehicle.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

My invention consists of a wheel 1, composed of a rim 1a, a plurality of curved spokes 2, and a hub 5, the rim 1a being secured to the ends 3 of the spokes 2 by screw means 4a, through holes L1 provided in the ends of the spokes 2, but may be secured thereon by any other suitable means, no invention bemg claimed in the manner of securing the rim to the spokes.

Hub, 5 is provided with a plurality of spokes 2, radiating from the lower edge of its periphery. Spokes 2 are arranged in such close proximity to the bottom edge of the largest perimeter of hub 5 and are so curved and directioned with the small end 6 of the hub, as to give it the appearance of a half hub.

Hub 5 is outwardly formed by having a bell portion 5b, from the bottom of the periphery of which spokes 2 radiate, the bell portion 5b being of size suitable to enclose gear-box 5a when mounted upon the upper g Speccation of Letters Patentf Patented J 11119 ,20, 1922i," Application med may 16, i921; serial No. 459,785. 'i

end of a steering post 12, the upper extremityf'of the hub 5 beingflanged as at'15, they flange directionedvinwardly forming av neck 6, and lengthened in such manner VasV tojallow its mouth end to protrude slightly past A.the upper peripheryl of the rim 1 i while the bell portion 5b-is positioned so that the bottom rim of the-said bell portion' supporting the spokes may extend suitably below the rim 1a, as desired.

The top of the neck 6 of the hub presents a flat surface, suited for securing the same upon the end of steering rod 11 by means of a nut |18, having a closed top 10.

The inner surface of hub 5 is formed with a bell portion 5b of size and shape corresponding to that of gear-box 5a and .suited for fitting over the same. At the top of the gear-box, hub 5 is provided with 75 an inwardly directioned flange 16 to correspond with the top of ear-box 5, the flange 16 being so upwarly disposed as to conform with the top 9 of `the ear-box 5a at the top of gear-box 5a. ub 5 is SOI also provided with another flange 17 Jabove flange 16,- conformable to the to-p 9 of the gear-box 5a. The portion of hub 5 reaching fromthe first flange 16 to ange 17 at the top 9 of gear-box 5a forming one part 85 of the inner portion of the neck 6 above the flange 16, and that,portion of hub 5 reaching from flange 17, to the top of hub 5 forming another portion of the neck 6, which latter portion is .called the boxing portion 7. Boxing portion 7, is suited to receive the end of steering rod 11, and has a key way 8,1ineally provided in its wall suited to receive key means in securing the hub 5 upon the steering rod 11.

I claim 1. In connection with a vehicle having steering gear mounted upon a steering post within a gear-box, a steering wheel consisting of a hub, spokes and a rim; hub means having a plurality of upwardly curved spokes radiating from the bottom of the perimeter of the hub, the said spokes curved out of the line of their attachment to the said hub directioned toward its mouth and supporting said rim on their outer ends.

2. In a steering wheel comprising a hub; said hub inwardly having an enlarged por-f tion formed into a housing conformable to the gear-box of a steering post and steering rod, the said housing havlng its top flanged, the said flange directioned inwardly in such tion inwardly having a flange directioned' in"fsuch1m'anneras to inwardly, conjunctively form the top oi" `a gear-box, and a `boxing suitedto receive the end of a steering post. 4 y

'4. In a steering `wheel comprising; in combination, ya hub outwardly having one portion largerl than the other, said large portionv ysupporting plural radial spokes disposed upon the edge of one of itsy ends, Va flange disposed-at the other end of the ysaid .larger portion, the said flange inwardly directioned vin such manner as to V'form a tapering neck; said hub inwardly having `:its -said `enlarged portion formed into-a housing conformable to the gear-box of ya steering post and steering "rod said neck yportion inwardly having another flange directioned in such .manner .as .t0 inwardly, conjunctively form the top of a gear-box, and a lboxing within said neck suited to receive the end .of afsteeringfpost;

key way means provided vwithin the said boxing of the said neclgzparallel therewith, all for the purposes vspecified.V p

ELMERIR THOMAS. Witnesses:

BIRDIE A.' CHEZERU, FREDA B. SAATHOFF. 

